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How did the Toronto Sports teams stack up on the Fandom 250 rankings?

By David Morassutti

TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 1: A Canada flag is unfurled by fans prior to the 2017 Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings at BMO Field on January 1, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 1: A Canada flag is unfurled by fans prior to the 2017 Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings at BMO Field on January 1, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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FanSided Network put together a list ranking the top 250 fanbases with a couple of Toronto sports teams and one team from Buffalo making the cut.

For years Toronto sports fans have loyally supported their teams for years and have earned the reputation as one of the most passionate sports cities in Canada.

That interest reached down south as the FanSided Network recognized Toronto sports fans for their passion on their Fandom 250 rankings.

The list looks at 250 fanbases around the world in various sports and entertainment categories to determine which ones were worthy of being on the list.

Over the years playoff appearances from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto FC and the Toronto Argonauts turned put the city on the map with their success.

South of the border, the Buffalo Bills are known for being a passionate fanbase despite their unfortunate Super Bowl curse and recent playoff drought.

Despite the amount of dedication Toronto sports fans have towards their teams only two made the Fandom 250 list while Bills Mafia made an appearance.

Let’s start with the one that was on the lower end of the list which was the Toronto Raptors who moved down three spots finishing 240th overall and 12th among NBA fanbases.

FanSided ranked the Raptors fanbase lower based on the fact that the team does not have a strong legacy for fans to grab on to. However the team has seen a massive growth especially across Canada and putting a lot of support behind the current roster which has a strong talent base.

As the Raptors establish themselves and maybe find some success in the postseason, the fanbase will get more attention especially across the border. There has definitely been an uprising with the Raptors and it won’t be long until they get more recognition like they did from LeBron James a couple of years ago.

While the Bills are not a Canadian team, a big part of their fanbase travels from Ontario for home games during the year. They finished eighth among NFL teams and 81st overall on the Fandom ranking which is a respectable number.

No matter what the team’s record is Bills fans will always show their support for home games, the fanbase certainly deserves a better result from their team considering the amount of support they give which is why they made it on the list.

Now on to the fanbase that got a little more love from the Fandom rankings. To no surprise it was Leafs Nation that were given a better position on the list but maybe not as high as you would expect.

Out of 250 fanbases, the Leafs ranked 68th overall, which is not terrible considering they were the highest ranked Canadian sports team on the list. At the same time there is definitely a case for Toronto to be higher on the list.

FanSided does point out the many years of suffering that Leafs fan endured which certainly helped their case to crack the top 100. It also helps that the fans are recognized for supporting this franchise despite  their Stanley Cup drought. They also point out that Leafs tickets are among the most expensive so that probably helps as well.

However, looking at the list of team’s that were ahead of Toronto, there is certainly a case for them to be ranked higher. The fact that the Pittsburgh Penguins were the number one ranked fanbase in the NHL should make Leafs fans scratch their head.

The reason why the Pens got the nod over the Leafs points to the recent Stanley Cup wins, one of the biggest out of the non-Original Six teams and their following on social media.

However, it is also easy to point out that the reigning Stanley Cup were exploring relocation back in 2007 because of financial and arena issues. That is not all on the fanbase but the Leafs have been the most stable franchise in league history even though the results haven’t always been there.

While people will point to the fact that the Leafs do not have the most exciting fan experience at home games, just look at when the team is on the road. There is a reason why the Leafs fanbase is known as Leafs Nation.

There are not many NHL cities that would have a viewing party for a first round playoff series while every sports bar remains packed with passionate fans. The Leafs are one of the most recognized teams’ in the league worldwide and that alone should at least have the team ranked the number one NHL franchise.

The Leafs are deserving of being among the top 15 fandoms in the world especially if the Penguins are ranked 14th. The top 10 would have been tough considering the Pittsburgh Steelers are the only sports team to crack that spot.

The top 10 fandoms broke down in this order starting with Taylor Swift followed by, the Alabama Crimson Tide, Beyoncé, Netflix (apparently), Conor McGregor, Star Wars, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, Game of Thrones and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

It is easy to make a case for the Toronto sports teams higher on the list and at least include the Blue Jays on the list but at the end of the day, fans worry more about their team’s success than being recognized.

Next: Maple Leafs need to shake things up

What do you think about the Fandom 250 rankings? Where would you have put the Toronto sports teams? Let us know in the comments below.

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